A native of Kent, WA, Kenny Mayne’s first television work was for KLVX, the PBS affiliate in Las Vegas, where Mayne graduated from UNLV. He signed a free agent contract with the Seahawks but failed the physical (see his foundation runfreely.org). Mayne joined KSTW-TV (Seattle-Tacoma) and when he got his chance to be on air he began as a news reporter. He shifted to sports and (with a long story in between) wound up at ESPN for 27 years, where he hosted Kenny Mayne's Wider World of Sports and The Mayne Event. The recipient of the Keith Jackson award for excellence in media, he currently cohosts We Need a Fourth, a comedy golf podcast. The weekly show features celebrity guests discussing golf stories, camaraderie, and non-golf topics. He also has a line of greeting cards for Lovepop.com. He’s married with four daughters, two dogs and three kittens.
ESPN icon Kenny Mayne on Seattle's NBA dream and a media industry he barely recognizes anymore—where algorithms and hot takes have replaced storytelling. Characteristically sharp, sardonic, and unfiltered.
Be the first to find out about new speakers and sessions, and special events.
The Cascade PBS Ideas Festival is a full-day event featuring live podcast recordings and studio television tapings by The Atlantic, NPR, The New Yorker, CNN, PBS, Pushkin, and more. Watch live as journalists, newsmakers, and thought leaders -like Nancy Pelosi, Laverne Cox, Ibram X. Kendi, Tonya Mosley, and Robby Hoffman- take on compelling topics and headlines making the news. Plus, community meetups, speaker meet-and-greets, micro-sessions, food trucks, DJs, -and surprises. Join us on June 6th at Fremont Studios, The Picklr and Hidden Hall in the heart of Seattle's Fremont neighborhood.
Emmy-winning actress, producer, LGBTQ+ advocate, and author
Speaker Emerita, United States Congress
Author, Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age
Activist, Writer, Producer
Co-Host Fresh Air / Creator and Host of Truth Be Told
Former ESPN Host, Podcast Host
Emmy-winning writer, Emmy-nominated actor, and Comedian
Author of America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries
Host, Mossback's Northwest
U.S. Senator, California
Geologist, Host of Nick on the Rocks
Host, Seattle Now / KUOW
Host, Radio Atlantic
Host, The Political Scene
Distinguished Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Host, KEXP's Sounds of Survivance
Host, The Newsfeed
Host of CNN Podcast, "One Thing"
King County Executive
Writer and Host, First America
Musician / Writer
Author, Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth
Senior Correspondent, Radiolab Co-Host
Storyteller, Speaker, Mentor, Teacher and Counselor of the Spirit
Author, MOTHERLAND: A Feminist History of Modern Russia; Founding Partner, Washington Correspondent at Puck
Host of Democracy in Color podcast, Author, and Columnist at The Guardian, The Nation
Musician, Helms Alee, Lozen, Tacos!, and Uukwuuk
Moderator-in-Chief
Cascade PBS, Arts and culture writer / television host
Theoretical Physicist and Cosmologist, Author of The Edge of Space and Time
